EUGENE–The University of Oregon School of Music’s "Festival of the Millennium," a two-week celebration of contemporary music from the 20th century and beyond, continues this week with a daily lineup of concerts and guest artist performances at the School of Music, 961 E. 18th Ave.

Highlighting the festival is the first cross-cultural Indonesian-American gamelan gathering in the United States in a three-day celebration of music for Indonesian percussion orchestra by Javanese, Balinese and North American composers.

For more information, call the music school weekdays at (541) 346-5678. To confirm concert times and ticket information, call GuardLine from a Touch-Tone phone at 485-2000, ext. 2533, for a 24-hours-a-day taped message of the week’s events.

The Festival of the Millennium will present listeners with a marathon offering of new music by local artists, beginning at 2 p.m. in Beall Concert Hall, 961 E. 18th Ave., and continuing until midnight. Tickets, available at the door, are $3 general admission for any and all concerts during the marathon.

Participants in the marathon include Seventh Species, a Eugene-based composers’ consortium; Keith Kirchoff, an undergraduate piano performance major who participated in the prestigious National Chopin Piano Competition this past year; and two university groups involved in new music–the Oregon Composers Forum and the Hundredth Monkey Ensemble.

The marathon will include a variety of musical styles and instruments, ranging from traditional to cutting-edge and avant-garde. A dinner break is scheduled at 6:30 p.m., with the music resuming at 8 p.m.

Soprano Ann Tedards and pianist Gregory Mason will give a Faculty Artist Series recital titled "20th Century American Women Composers: A Retrospective in Song." The program begins at
8 p.m. in Beall Hall. Tickets, available at the door, are $7 general admission and $4 for students and senior citizens.

The recital, supported in part by a faculty research grant from the UO Center for the Study of Women in Society, includes a wide variety of compositions for voice and piano by Amy Beach, Florence B. Price, Undine Moore, Elizabeth Vercoe, Libby Larson and Lori Laitman.

Spanning the whole 20th century, the program offers a taste of the eclectic wealth of creativity often left unperformed on most contemporary recitals. Romantic songs from the turn of the 19th century are followed by songs written by African-American composers from the 1940s. The songs include settings of Sappho fragments to ragtime, blues and boogie styles, settings of texts by Willa Cather describing a young woman’s first impressions of the American west, and a group of songs composed in the late 1990s titled "Days and Nights."

Tedards has performed as a soloist with the Vienna Symphony, Austrian Radio Orchestra, Stuttgart Philharmonic, Vienna Boys Choir, Washington Bach Consort, Baltimore Choral Arts Society, New York Pro Musica Antiqua, Ensemble Moderne (Berlin), Orpheus Ensemble (Salzburg), Ensemble Kontrapunkte (Vienna) and numerous chamber ensembles in the United States and Europe.

Regionally, Tedards has performed as a soloist with the Oregon Repertory Singers, Classical Consort of Seattle, Oregon Bach Festival and the Third Angle New Music Ensemble. She is the recipient of the Mozart Prize from the Françisco Viñas International Voice Competition in Barcelona, and she has recorded for the Musical Heritage Society and Orfeo labels.

Mason is a member of the UO piano faculty, where he teaches accompanying and chamber music. Among his recital credits are tours of Central and South America as well as performances at Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, the Casals Festival, the United Nations, the Yale Collection of Historic Instruments and Carnegie Recital Hall. Mason also has given numerous recitals throughout the United States, including a PBS recital with baritone William Warfield.

For seven years, Mason worked as coach and accompanist in New York City, where he was pianist for the American Music Competition, the Vincent La Selva opera classes at the Juilliard School and a Placido Domingo master class at the Metropolitan Opera. In 1999, Mason performed a recital of German lieder in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall with Grammy-winning soprano Susan Dunn.

The Ysaÿe String Quartet, an award-winning ensemble from France, will give a Chamber Music Series concert featuring all-French repertoire at 8 p.m. in Beall Concert Hall. Reserved-seat tickets are $10, $20 and $25, available in advance from the Hult Center, (541) 682-5000, or from the Erb Memorial Union (EMU) Ticket Office, 346-4363. A limited number of discounted student tickets will be sold at the music school the day of the concert.

The Ysaÿe Quartet will perform Ravel’s "String Quartet in F Major." Two distinguished guest artists–pianist Jean-Claude Pennetier and violinist Regis Pasquier–will join the group for two additional numbers, "Sonata for Violin and Piano" by Debussy and "Concerto for Piano, Violin and String Quartet" by Chausson.

The concert will be preceded at 7 p.m. by "Musical Insights," with Professor Robert Hurwitz offering a free audience-friendly talk about the evening’s repertoire.

The Ysaÿe Quartet, formed in 1984, immediately captured the attention of the French public and press, earning international recognition in 1988 when it became the first French quartet ever to win the Grand Prize at the Evian Festival.

An extraordinary 1989 debut at the Salzburg Festival resulted in immediate re-engagement for the following summer. In 1992, the ensemble established itself as one of Europe’s pre-eminent ensembles with highly acclaimed cycles of the six Mozart quartets dedicated to Haydn in both Salzburg and Vienna.

The Ysaÿe Quartet now performs regularly in Europe’s major cities and at its summer festivals, including Lockenhaus, Stresa, Salzburg and Prades. On its debut tour of North America in 1990, the Ysaÿe won accolades from audiences and critics in 15 cities across the continent, including New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Vancouver and Los Angeles. Its eight subsequent tours have taken the quartet to more than 40 different venues, recently including Boston, Washington, San Diego, Memphis, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles.

Other international tours have taken the quartet to Australia and Central America, as well as on an extensive tour of Asia, with concerts in Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Guest keyboard artists Art Maddox and Joan Benson will give a Festival of the Millennium concert at 8 p.m. in both Beall Hall and Room 198. Tickets, available at the door, are $7 general admission and $4 for students and senior citizens.

Benson has chosen to play works by three American composers deeply influenced by the East. She will open the program with two clavichord selections, Lou Harrison’s "Sonata" (1999) and David Loeb’s "Autumn in the River." Because of the delicate sound of the clavichord, this portion of the concert will be held in Room 198, so the audience will be in close proximity to the instrument and the artist. Benson then will move to Beall Hall to perform several short piano selections by John Cage.

Following intermission, Art Maddox will perform an early piano sonata by Lou Harrison, as well as a new trio Maddox has written for piano, saxophone and bass, to be performed by Maddox, Tom Bergeron and Guy Tyler.

Composer Percy Grainger first recognized her talent when Benson was a child. She was influenced in college by Middle Eastern composer Anis Fuleihan, took classes with Olivier Messaien in Paris and became a protégé of Swiss pianist Edwin Fischer. She eventually specialized in the clavichord, giving concerts throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Maddox, a Eugene pianist/composer, holds master’s and doctoral degrees in music composition. In 1966, he received a Fulbright Grant for electronic music composition at the Polskie Radio Studio Eksperymentalne in Warsaw, Poland. His compositional range includes chamber, symphonic and choral music; pieces for electronic instruments and computer; and music for theater, film, radio, television and dance. Since 1981 Maddox has worked with composer-guitarist Mason Williams on many projects, including music for television, theater and live concerts.

Nov. 17—19: Gamelan CelebratioN

The "Festival of the Millennium" will present three days of music for Indonesian percussion orchestra (gamelan) by Javanese, Balinese and North American composers. The Gamelan Celebration will feature two legendary figures of the American Gamelan Movement–renowned American composer Lou Harrison and Pak Hardja Susilo, a Javanese master musician who founded the first Javanese gamelan in America.

Six gamelans from throughout the West Coast–the most accomplished Indonesian ensembles in the United States today–will present concerts, including dance and shadow puppet theater, during the weekend. Also scheduled are premieres of works by two master composers from Indonesia–Balinese composer Windha and Javanese composer Midiyanto, artist-in-residence at Lewis and Clark College in Portland.

A gamelan is an ensemble of metal xylophones, gongs and drums. Javanese and Balinese gamelans are comprised of different instruments and perform music that is characterized by bright bell-like sounds, deep gong resonances and rhythmic drumming.

The American Gamelan Movement began on the West Coast with the work of Harrison and Susilo. The virtuoso performance at the three-day celebration will reveal how their contribution has influenced two generations of gamelan performers in the United States.

A full Javanese gamelan and full Balinese gong kebyar will be housed in "instrument rooms" (Rooms 198, 186 and 178) on the perimeter of Beall Concert Hall during the three days. All talks and workshop sessions will take place "in the round" or in rooms with raked seating to allow ideal viewing of the instruments during presentations.

Participating gamelans include Gamelan Sekar Jaya (Bay Area); Kyai Raras Arum/The Portland Gamelan Experience; Gamelan Sari Raras (UC/Berkeley); Gamelan Pacifica (Seattle); Seattle City Gamelan; Sari Pandhawa (Eugene); and Pacific Rim Gamelan (UO).

A free presentation and discussion on the gamelan music of Lou Harrison will be held at 5 p.m. in Room 198 of the Music Building, 961 E. 18th Ave. Representatives of several of the visiting Indonesian percussion orchestras will discuss various gamelan instruments and cultures.

The School of Music’s Vanguard Series will present a special Gamelan Celebration concert as part of the Festival of the Millennium, with composer-in-residence Lou Harrison. Concert time is
8 p.m. in Beall Concert Hall. Tickets, available at the door, are $7 general admission and $4 for students and senior citizens.

All participating gamelans will play at least one original work, composed either by Lou Harrison or by one of the group’s members. Also on the program will be the premiere of a new work by Javanese master musician Midiyanto.

Harrison, one of America’s most original and influential composers, will attend the concert and introduce works from the stage. Known as an innovator of composition and performance that transcends cultural boundaries, Harrison’s highly acclaimed work juxtaposes and synthesizes musical dialects from virtually every corner of the world. His early compositions include a large body of percussion music with homemade instruments, combining Western, Asian, African and Latin American rhythmic influences.

In addition to his prolific musical output, Harrison also is a skilled painter, calligrapher, essayist, critic, poet and instrument builder, as well as an articulate, outspoken observer of the contemporary musical scene. During his long, varied career, he has explored dance, tuning systems and cross-cultural music.

Performers on the concert include Kyai Raras Arum/The Portland Gamelan Experience; Gamelan Sari Raras, UC/Berkeley; Gamelan Pacifica (Seattle); Seattle City Gamelan; Sari Pandhawa (Eugene); and the Pacific Rim Gamelan (UO).

A series of gamelan workshop/talks and concerts will be offered in the morning and afternoon in Beall Hall and adjacent rooms.

• Balinese Gamelan and Dance Concert, 9 a.m. Saturday. The Gamelan Sekar Jaya will give a workshop on Balinese gamelan technique and culture. A concert will follow at 10:30 a.m. Sekar Jaya was the first Balinese ensemble in the West to tour Bali at the invitation of the Indonesian government. The concert will include new music by celebrated Balinese composers Windha and Subandi and a new work by Wayne Vitale. Arini, a celebrated Balinese dancer, will perform. Admission is $3 for a pass to both events, available that morning at the Beall Hall box office.

• Javanese Shadow Puppet Theatre, 2 p.m. Saturday. Pak Hardja Susilo will give a keynote address on Javanese gamelan, dance drama and culture. A shadow puppet theater performance will follow at 4 p.m., featuring Javanese puppet master Midiyanto, plus musicians from Kyai Raras Arum/The Portland Gamelan Experience. Admission is $3 for a pass to both events.

• Javanese Gamelan, 9 a.m. Sunday. The Javanese gamelans from Seattle will give a talk-demonstration. A concert of new and traditional music for Javanese gamelan will follow at 10:30 a.m. in Beall Concert Hall. Admission is $3 for a pass to both events, available that morning at the Beall Hall box office.

Arun Gandhi, grandson of the legendary peace advocate and spiritual leader Mohandas K. Gandhi, will give a free talk at 8 p.m. in Beall Hall, titled "Waging Peace in the New Millennium."

Gandhi also will lead a workshop on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 19, titled "Waging Peace Through the Practice of Non-Violence." The workshop begins at 2 p.m. in Beall Hall. Tickets, limited to 300 persons, are available for $3 in advance from the EMU Ticket Office, 346-4363.

An internationally acclaimed lecturer offering first-hand insights on one of history’s most influential leaders, Gandhi has spoken before hundreds of college, university, corporate and civic organizations. His unique talents and cross-cultural experiences have brought him before governmental, social and educational audiences in countries all over the world including Croatia, France, Ireland, Holland, Lithuania and Nicaragua.

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